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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22807273">Falling in Letters</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForestsAndSunsets/pseuds/ForestsAndSunsets'>ForestsAndSunsets</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Gen, Horror, Hurt No Comfort, Letters, Sentient Voltron Lions, Voltron Lion to Paladin Psychic Bond, horror themes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 09:27:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,782</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22807273</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForestsAndSunsets/pseuds/ForestsAndSunsets</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lance writes a letter for his family. After all, there’s no way he’s going to survive long enough to see them again.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Falling in Letters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/12336048">as the lion loves the lamb</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demenior/pseuds/Demenior">Demenior</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I read Demenior’s story yesterday, and it gave me chills! (I may or may not have totally typed this story out in the comment box, before realizing that I had actually typed out a whole story lol)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lance’s hands trembled, as he put the pen to work. His paper was already wet, tears slightly warping the words he wrote in silence.</p><p>
  <em>I was the first to realize something was wrong.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Not immediately, of course. Because, as far as we knew, these lions were just robots, right?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Oh god were we wrong.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It had only been a few Quintants (days) since we came to space, when I first heard it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span class="u">I love you. I love you because you’re <b>mine</b>. Mine, my Paladin.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Those were the exact words I heard, once and many many more. Of course, Pidge and Hunk didn’t believe me. In fact, I didn’t even fully believe myself!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But we learned. And oh god did we learn.</em>
</p><p>Lance sobbed, his left hand going up to muffle the sound. They really did learn, didn’t they. He gathered himself, shifted the lamp above him, and continued to write.</p><p>
  <em>There was one time, on the planet Arus where I was in a bomb’s blast zone. I had thrown myself over Coran to protect him, and got very badly injured. They put me in something called a Cryo-pod, and after it healed and released me, Blue was just...<b>there</b>. She completely covered me, purring in a way I know now was possessive. I remember shivering from the feeling, but pushing it off. Normally I would never have told any of you this, but at this point I don’t think it matters.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Because it only got worse.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Soon, all of us Paladins were recognizing it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Shiro would wake up in Black’s Cockpit without any idea of how he got there.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Pidge would wake up Green’s hangar, with urges to go into the cockpit.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And all of them would tell us how much they loved us. Because we were theirs.</em>
</p><p>Lance shivered at the feeling those words exerted. He felt Red poke at his mind, with curiosity. He shivered again. He would have to hurry.</p><p>
  <em>Soon we would realize they weren’t even truly machines, during a fight during a fight against one of Haggar’s Robeasts.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yellow’s armor had been practically destroyed. Hunk wasn’t responding, and we were naturally scared. But then, right before our eyes, Yellow <b>takes off his armor<b>.</b></b></em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <b></b>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <b></b>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>They’re beasts.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>What kind, we don’t know exactly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But we knew that King Alfor didn’t create them, just <b>trapped</b> them.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Later, we peeked into Yellow‘s hangar. He was chained up, armor still not fully replaced. His gaze—with his one animalistic uncovered eye—immediately latched onto Hunk, who shivered. We left very quickly after that.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Once, I was trapped on a planet overnight. It was raining, so I wanted to sleep on Blue. But when I voiced this over the comms, Allura immediately told me not to, and that too much exposure to the Lions was bad. I didn’t listen and, without the others knowing, I slept in Blue anyway.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When I woke up, I felt hunger. And not the normal kind of hungry you have after waking up, but <b>hunger</b>. It was almost insatiable. As soon as I got back to the castle, I practically raided the kitchen. And even as my stomach told me it was done, it wasn’t enough. It didn’t want that. It took Quintants to finally go away.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The final straw was when Shiro was killed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>No, that’s not the right word. He was <b>murdered</b>. <b>Eaten</b>. <b><span class="u">devoured</span></b>.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We had defeated Zarkon, and finally learned what the Lions were.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>They were hungry.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>They were hungry for <b>us</b>. We were like sheep and them the shepherds. It’s just a matter of time, until they ‘love’ us enough to eat us too.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As a team, Pidge, Hunk, Keith, and I all decided we were done flying the Lions. No more. Even as Black called for Keith, and Red for me, we resisted. Even as Green called louder for Pidge, and Blue for Allura, we said no. Allura was confused at our reactions, she still thought it was an honor. But, like us, she would learn.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>One way or another, she would learn.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And then Shiro came back.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Maybe we were too excited to finally have our final piece back, but none of us noticed what was wrong. None of us ever saw him sleep or eat or heard him enter a room, but it was fine. He said he was fine, and we trusted him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He told us we were being silly about the Lions. That all we had to do was fall deeper. That they loved us.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We believed him, somewhat, but continued to resist. We still couldn’t give ourselves up. Or rather, wouldn’t.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We resisted, up to a battle on a planet. Pidge had suggested we try to liberate a planet on our own—since we were still defenders of the universe, with or without our Lions—and we all agreed. Well, minus Allura, but she would learn.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Perhaps I don’t need to say this, but it went horribly. There were flames everywhere, and despite our fear, we decided that we HAD to get the Lions.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And of course, here’s when one of the worst things happens.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Allura was ecstatic to finally be able to fly Blue and immediately ran towards her, and despite our own very opposite feelings, we followed. Not even five Doboshes (minutes) later, everyone but Keith was in the air. Pidge, Hunk, and I were scared as hell, for both him and us, but we focused on the mission. Keith met us when we touched down in the hangars and greeted us with “It wasn’t Shiro.” With him covered in blood and sporting a new scar (how that even appeared so quickly, I’ll never know) it freaked us out quite a bit.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But then he told us about Black’s trap. We don’t know where it came from, but apparently the vessel that looked like Shiro was controlled by the Lions. Keith had begun to fall deeper into Black like it had said to, but Shiro, the <b>real</b> Shiro, devoured and in pain, pushed him out of the way. Keith had barely escaped, and immediately ran out of Black.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He had run into the Imposter, who tried to tell him it was okay. That he could fall. But Keith knew then.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Everyone, including Allura and Coran, had paled. They finally knew. They had finally learned.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We destroyed the vessel as best as we could, and sealed it in a indestructible room in the castle, surrounded by numerous just-as-indestructible barriers.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We wanted to leave. Us Paladins that were left had been wanting to leave for a while, but now that Allura knew, she was terrified too. But we also knew there was nowhere we could go.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It was at dinner weeks after we had rid of the vessel we labeled ‘Kuron’, when our lives fucked themselves up further.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Without warning, Kuron walked through the doors. There was no damage on it’s body, still just as equal to our Shiro’s as the first one. Well, except for it’s eyes. Black holes, that seemed to suck in the very light from your soul.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We all got into fighting and defensive poses. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“There’s no need for fighting.” The creatures controlling the vessel had said, voice sickeningly fake soothing, “You’re ours forever. We love you.”</em>
</p><p>Lance’s hand was shaking so hard he could barely get the words out. But he knew he had to.</p><p>
  <em>This is where we‘re at now, Mama.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There’s no way for us to escape.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m going to be the same when we get back to Earth. If I’m even alive. I’m giving this to Coran, because if I’m alive when we get to you, I really doubt I’ll be in a mindset to give this to you. Hunk and Pidge have already begun...<b>changing</b>, and I think Allura, Keith, and I are going to be soon.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Tell everyone (that includes Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro’s families, and Adam of course) we lo</em>
</p><p>Lance’s hand stilled. He couldn’t write that word. That phrase. It had forever been tainted, to him and the rest of the Paladins.</p><p>
  <em>Tell everyone (that includes Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro’s families, and Adam of course) that we <s>lo</s> care for and miss them. And tell Veronica that I’m sorry I’ll never get to see her get married, Luis that I’ll never see him make it as a musician, Esperanza and Evita that I missed their ninth birthday and won’t see them graduate...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’ll miss you all,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lance.</em>
</p><p>—</p><p>The McClains were not prepared for the letter.</p><p>Okay, so neither were any of the Paladins’ families, but the McClains read it first.</p><p>It was after the Paladins had left Earth again with their Lions (<em><s>All wrong everything was all wrong  n o n e  o f  t h e m  w e r e  t h e  s a m e </s></em>—) when Mrs. McClain had gotten the letter. She had been overjoyed; who wouldn’t be? She was a mother, getting a letter from her son (<em><s>no no no no  n o t  h i m </s></em>—) who had went off into space with his robotic lion (<em><s>something was wrong that wasn’t right</s></em>—). In five minutes, the whole family had gathered to read the letter.</p><p>Their blood ran cold, the further they read into the letter.</p><p>That-That couldn’t be right. Lance had been <em>fine</em> when they saw him on Earth, except...</p><p>...had he really...?</p><p>Mrs. McClain immediately called the group chat of their families. The Shiroganes, the Holts, the Garretts, Adam, all of them. She called for an emergency meeting immediately, panicking, while she was still in the Garrison dorms.</p><p>She briefly wondered if her face had looked that pale when she read it, as she surveyed the reading pile a while later.</p><p>Samuel had immediately called Matt in hopes of getting it disproven, but the mournful face he got just proved it.</p><p>
  <em>“I’m so sorry dad... It’s a well known thing among us rebels by now.”</em>
</p><p>The Shiroganes has just gone catatonic. They had lost their son once before, just to get him back to find out he had died again?</p><p>Adam didn’t say anything. He had known. Known that that imposter, wasn’t his love. (<em><s>He never said anything, even as his heart shattered into pieces.</s></em>)</p><p>The Garretts cried for hours. Mrs. Garrett did her best to soothe her distraught husband and wife as best she could, but it was hard when the Samoan was grieving just as much.</p><p>And the world? The world only found out when people expressed their own desires to fly the Lions themselves, after Earth’s firsts had died ‘tragic accidental deaths’.</p><p>No one wanted to fly them after that.</p><p>But people would. Why?</p><p>Because the Lions loved them.</p><p>-</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It was kinda spontaneous so not the best quality or editing but... I still like it. I was honestly expecting an ending with letters in the actual story, sadly no, but I liked the idea so. It’s actually my first time writing anything really horror-like, so I would love criticism! *wink wink* :D</p><p>I hope you liked my mini sort-of sequel Demenior!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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